Stencil cutting method



Sept. 25, 1962 E. H. AMYX STENCIL CUTTING METHOD Filed Aug. 11, 1960 1 e 9 5 \/f g) f v j l 1 I! I I 7/ x INVENTOR.

EDWIN H. AMYX ATTORNEYS 3,@55,Z94 Patented Sept. 25, 1962 3,055,294 STENCIL CUTTLNG METHOD Edwin H. Amyx, Fort Scott, Kane, assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, to Vib-Ritter Company, Inc, Fort Scott, Karts, a corporation of Kansas Filed Aug. 11, 1960, Ser. No. 49,058 7 Claims. (Ci. 101-1284) This invention relates to stencil cutting, and more particularly to a means and method for impressing characters in a stencil for use upon a duplicating machine in making multiple copies.

The principal objects of the present invention are: to provide a means and method for readily impressing characters on a stencil sheet while avoiding the danger of mutilation thereof; to provide such a means and method which is versatile and yet eliminates the need of a hand-held stylus; to provide such a means and method in which the characters are neatly formed and maintained in correct alignment and desired spacing with hitherto unknown ease; to provide such a means and method of preparing stencils in which the outlines of the characters are sharply defined in the stencil; to provide such a novel means and method using a relatively thin flexible sheet of transparent material such as Lucite or other plastic material having raised or embossed characters outlined on one surface thereof, which characters are impressed in the stencil by guiding a relatively small impacting or vibrating member in contact with the other surface of said sheet following paths corresponding with the character outlines; and to provide such a means which offers hitherto unknown ease and flexibility in preparing neatly cut stencils and a method which is quickly and easily taught to persons unskilled in the art thereof.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention.

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation illustrating a stencil being impressed with an embossed sheet by a hand-held vibrating tool.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the embossed sheet aligned with a T-square.

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the embossed sheet showing the relationship between the vibrating tool, the embossed sheet and the stencil.

Referring to the drawings in more detail:

The reference numeral 1 denotes a hand-held tool or instrument having a shaft or post 2 extending therefrom. The tool 1 is adapted to cause the shaft 2 to vibrate longitudinally thereof, that is, in a vertical direction as shown (FIG. 1). The frequency of vibration is not critical and may vary considerably roughly within the low audio frequency range. A particularly desirable frequency of vibration has been found to be 60 cycles per second for the reason that the tool 1 may then be powered by simple electromagnetic means energized by common 60 cycle alternating current. It is to be noted, however, that mechanical vibrating means such as springs and gearing will also produce satisfactory results.

The shaft 2 has an unsupported end 3 thereof threaded and the shaft 2 extends outwardly from the tool 1 a distance suflicient to permit a clear view of the working area around the threaded end 3. An impact member or head 4 is substantially of inverted frusto-conical shape and contains a threaded bore 5 which mates with the threaded end 3 of the shaft 2. The lower or smaller end 6 of the head 4 is smooth and spherical or convex in shape, permitting sliding on a hard plane surface over a small contact area 7 thereof. The inverted frusto-conical shape of the head 4 permits ease of observation in the area of contact. It is noted that the head 4 is easily interchangeable with heads having contact ends of different curvature for work demanding different degrees of control.

A relatively thin flexible sheet 8 of transparent material, such as Lucite or other plastic material, has on one surface or side 9 the outlines of raised or embossed characters 10 which may be in the form of upper case letters 11, lower case letters 12, numbers 13, or any other desired characters, designs or symbols. The height of embossing is not critical but preferably is roughly equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the stencil.

In practicing this invention, the embossed sheet 8 is placed with the embossed side 9' facing downwardly toward a hard supporting surface 14, such as glass, and a stencil 15 is interposed therebetween. If the stencil 15 is secured to a heavy paper backing sheet (not shown), a flexible sheet having a hard surface such as Lucite may be interposed between the backing sheet and the stencil.

The stencil 15 is of the type adapted to receive impressions from a stenciling instrument such as a stylus for use upon a duplicating machine in making multiple copies. A straight-edge or T-square 16 may be used to provide a guide for maintaining the various characters 10, 11 and 12 in alignment if it is desired to impress a sequence of characters on the stencil 15 such as words or sentences. The embossed sheet 8 is provided with a knob 17 secured to the side 18 opposite the embossed side 9. The knob 17 permits the embossed sheet 8 to be conveniently turned l-degrees on the vertical axis of the knob 17 in order to position the upper case letters 11 accurately in alignment with the lower case letters 12 or numbers 13. The spacing of the characters is easily determined by viewing through transparent embossed sheet 8.

In impressing a sequence of characters on the stencil 15, the embossed sheet 8 is placed with the embossed side 9 in contact with the stencil and registered so that the desired character outline is positioned in the desired spot on the stencil 15. The head 4 of the vibrating tool 1 is placed in contact with the side 18 of the embossed sheet so that the contacting area 7 is directly aligned over a small portion of a character outline. The vibrating contact of the head 4 with the embossed sheet 8 impacts a small portion of the character outline into the stencil and, by following the character outline as seen from the side 18 of the sheet, the outline impression of the complete character is easily formed. The embossed sheet 8 is then moved with respect to the stencil 1'5 so as to position the following desired character next to the first character, and the vibrating head 4 is placed in contact with the embossed sheet 8 aligning with the outline of the new character. The above steps are repeated until all the desired characters have been impressed in their desired positions on the stencil.

It has been found that the invention above described avoids the danger of the fragile stencil 15 being mutilated during character cutting and the characters are readily applied by persons previously unskilled in the art of stencil preparation. The transparent embossed sheet 8 offers great advantage by permitting clear viewing of the work area therethrough, and it is apparent that various embossed sheets may be interchanged during a single stencil cutting to provide an unlimited selection of characters or designs. It is also noted that this invention may be used in conjunction with a typewriter or stylus to complete a stencil cutting, for example, by limiting the portion of the cutting produced by this invention to headlining.

This invention is not to be limited strictly to stencil cutting for it is evident that it may be used to transfer impressions by carbon paper or other pressure-sensitive transferring means to master copy sheets for use with offset or other character reproduction methods. In producing master copy sheets, the carbon copy is interposed between the embossed character and the blank master sheet with the transfer side of the carbon paper contacting the master sheet, whereby the progressive impacting of small portions of the character outline against the carbon paper transfers the character outline to the master copy sheet.

It is to be understood that while I have illustrated and described one form of my invention, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim and desired to secure by Letters Patent 1s:

1. A method of impressing a character on a stencil using a flexible sheet embossed on one side with the outline of said character, comprising; positioning said character outline in contact with said stencil; and progressively impacting small portions of said outline into said stencil until the impression of a complete individual character outline is formed in said stencil.

2. A method of impressing a desired sequence of characters on a stencil using a flexible sheet embossed on one side with a plurality of characters in a different sequence comprising; positioning an individual character on said flexible sheet in contact and desired registry with said stencil; progressively impacting small portions of said individual character into said stencil forming the impression of a complete individual character in said stencil; and repeating the above steps with characters contacting said stencil in other positions and in the desired sequence whereby said characters are sequentially impressed in said stencil.

3. A method of impressing characters on a stencil using a flexible sheet embossed on one side with a plurality of characters comprising; positioning an individual character on said flexible sheet in contact with said stencil; progressively impacting small portions of said individual character into said stencil from the other side of said sheet forming the impression of a complete individual character in said stencil; and repeating the above steps with characters contacting said stencil in other positions whereby said characters are impressed in said stencil.

4. The method of cutting stencils comprising; laying an impressible stencil upon a hard surface; contacting the exposed surface of said stencil with an embossed character on a flexible sheet; and vibratingly pressing small portions of said character into said stencil until the complete character is impressed in said stencil.

5. The method of cutting stencils without danger of mutilation thereof comprising; laying an impressible stencil upon a hard surface; contacting the exposed surface of said stencil with an embossed character formed on one side of a relatively thin flexible sheet; and vibratingly pressing small portions of said character into said stencil from the other side of said flexible sheet forming an impression of the complete character in said stencil.

6. The method of cutting stencils comprising; laying an impressible stencil upon a hard surface; contacting the exposed surface of said stencil with the embossed outline of a character formed on one side of a relatively thin flexible sheet; and vibratingly pressing small portions of said character into said stencil from the other side of said flexible sheet forming an impression of said character in said stencil; whereby the impression of said character is sharply defined in said stencil.

7. The method of cutting stencils by impressing a character therein with an embossed transparent flexible sheet exhibiting said character comprising; the steps of laying said stencil against a hard surface, contacting said stencil on the exposed surface thereof with the character to be impressed therein, viewing the registry of said character on said stencil through said transparent sheet, reciprocally impacting small portions of said character into said stencil and repeating said impacting over the outline of the entire character whereby the impression of the complete character is formed in said stencil.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,146,852 Dick July 20, 1915 1,146,853 Dick July 20, 1915 1,671,906 Minor May 29, 1928 1,860,729 Braund May 31, 1932 2,109,729 Lee Mar. 1, 1938 Til r 

